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1 – 10 of 375Shirshendu Roy, Samar Bhattacharya and Prasun Das
This paper aims to describe the impact of personalized eLearning (PeL) using small videos and simulations. It sets out the results of a research project carried out across four…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to describe the impact of personalized eLearning (PeL) using small videos and simulations. It sets out the results of a research project carried out across four Indian organizations.
Design/methodology/approach
This is an empirical study. The respondents completed product training using small videos and simulations as training content. The courses were assigned to learners using PeL concept. An online survey was conducted to capture feedback on learning content and process, followed by structural equation modeling (SEM) to explain the acceptance.
Findings
The research concluded that flexibility and engagement play an important role in competency development using eLearning. It also revealed the positive role of small videos, simulations, and PeL to improve product knowledge. The research findings are consistent with earlier studies.
Research limitations/implications
The pilot study was a part of a thesis topic for a doctoral program. The study is limited to four domains, namely, aerospace engineering, biological science, thermodynamics, and nuclear research. More studies are required to generalize results. Data were collected through self-responses and focus group discussion. Hence, the “perception” of respondents has some influence on the overall outcome.
Practical implications
The foundation’s result will help learning & development (L&D) professionals and courseware designers to identify important factors for small video and simulation-based learning in an Indian context. The recommendations will help practitioners design effective PeL content for product training.
Originality/value
This research increases the knowledge base related to competency development using eLearning for product training in an Indian context.
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Muddesar Iqbal, Sohail Sarwar, Muhammad Safyan and Moustafa Nasralla
The purpose of this study is to present a systematic and comprehensive review of personalized, adaptive and semantic e-learning systems.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to present a systematic and comprehensive review of personalized, adaptive and semantic e-learning systems.
Design/methodology/approach
Preferred reporting items of systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines have been used for a thorough insight into associated aspects of e-learning that complement the e-learning pedagogies and processes. The aspects of e-learning systems have been reviewed comprehensively such as personalization and adaptivity, e-learning and semantics, learner profiling and learner categorization, which are handy in intelligent content recommendations for learners.
Findings
The adoption of semantic Web based technologies would complement the learner’s performance in terms of learning outcomes.
Research limitations/implications
The evaluation of the proposed framework depends upon the yearly batch of learners and recording is a cumbersome/tedious process.
Social implications
E-Learning systems may have diverse and positive impact on society including democratized learning and inclusivity regardless of socio-economic or geographic status.
Originality/value
A preliminary framework of an ontology-based e-learning system has been proposed at a modular level of granularity for implementation, along with evaluation metrics followed by a future roadmap.
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Mehwish Waheed, Kiran Kaur and Atika Qazi
– The purpose of this paper is to identify the unique d
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify the unique d
i
mensions associated with knowledge quality (KQ) based on students’ perception in an educational institution.
Design/methodology/approach
Purposive sampling was used to select students who were active users of the electronic-Learning (eLearning) system at two faculties in a single university. The qualitative data gathering employed an unstructured open-ended questionnaire distributed to the 52 selected participants.
Findings
The qualitative findings unearth the students’ perspective about quality of knowledge gained from content used in online courses. In total, 34 underlying sub-dimensions of KQ emerged, which were categorized into five KQ dimensions: intrinsic KQ, contextual KQ, representational KQ, accessible KQ, and actionable KQ.
Research limitations/implications
The findings provide an insight to educators to consider KQ dimensions in providing quality knowledge to students in an eLearning environment.
Originality/value
Previous studies have used information quality dimensions to measure KQ because of a lack of conceptualization of KQ that leads to difficulties in operationalizing this construct. In this study, a conceptual and operational definition of KQ, in the context of eLearning, is proposed based on grounded data from students participating in an online learning environment.
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As institutions acknowledge the importance of adopting digital transformation, the higher education setting is realising a prompt and transformative change internationally. This…
Abstract
As institutions acknowledge the importance of adopting digital transformation, the higher education setting is realising a prompt and transformative change internationally. This chapter explores the effect of digitalisation in the sphere of higher education, whilst underlining its significance for Kuwait. By adopting digital transformation, higher education institutions in Kuwait can facilitate robust sustainable development and adopt a culture of bold innovation. The objective of Kuwait Vision 2035 is to make use of digital transformation as an approach to enhance the overall quality of education. This may include incorporating advanced teaching methods, a modified curriculum, and innovative evaluation methods supported by technology. Digital tools can enhance the learning experience and provide students with a more interactive and engaging education. By capitalising on digital infrastructure, aiding teachers, and encouraging partnerships, Kuwait aims to prepare students with useful digital skills, advance innovation and stimulate progress in a knowledge-based economy. Likewise, by means of extensive and lifelong learning, Kuwait intends to be at the forefront of digital education by making a sizeable contribution to economic prosperity and sustainable development.
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Daqing He, Yefei Peng, Ming Mao and Dan Wu
The purpose of this paper is to examine the integration of digital library (DL) technologies with ontology‐based knowledge representation in providing semantic rich information…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the integration of digital library (DL) technologies with ontology‐based knowledge representation in providing semantic rich information access (IA) in e‐learning. DL technologies have powerful and flexible content management and access functionalities, whereas ontology helps teachers and students to link content materials to their learning objectives. This paper demonstrates that the integration provides a powerful and meaningful e‐learning environment.
Design/methodology/approach
DiLight is designed as an interactive e‐learning system that integrates DL and ontology technologies. By conducting comparative experiments involving DiLight in students' actual learning process, the authors examined the advantages and limitations of DiLight in e‐learning.
Findings
Compared to a widely used e‐learning environment, DiLight can provide significantly better support for students' complex IA tasks because DiLight is more useful for relationship discovery and problem solving. DiLight is also effective even when students were either less familiar with tasks or felt that they were more difficult. There is no single best access method for all learning situations. Therefore, multiple IA methods should be built into e‐learning systems. Although most of time the search was the first choice of the students, ontology‐based methods were useful in supporting them to complete their tasks too.
Originality/value
This is a comparative empirical study using an interactive e‐learning system called DiLight to explore the usage of integrated DL and ontology in e‐learning. The experiment results demonstrate the value of the multiple IA methods provided by DL, and the usefulness of integrating DL with ontology.
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The purpose of this paper is to review recent developments in educational informatics relating to the provision by information systems of pedagogical support to web‐based…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to review recent developments in educational informatics relating to the provision by information systems of pedagogical support to web‐based learners, and to propose further investigation of the feasibility and potential value of web‐based “conversational” information systems to complement adaptive hypermedia and information retrieval systems.
Design/methodology/approach
The potential of Pask's conversation theory is considered as a potentially useful framework for the development of information systems capable of providing pedagogical support for web‐based learners, complementary to that provided by existing computer‐assisted learning and adaptive hypermedia systems. The potential role and application of entailment meshes are reviewed in relation to other forms of knowledge representation including classifications, semantic networks, ontologies and representations based on knowledge space theory.
Findings
Concludes that conversation theory could be a useful framework to support the development of web‐based “conversational” information that would complement aspects of computer‐assisted learning, adaptive hypermedia and information retrieval systems. The entailment mesh knowledge representation associated with conversation theory provides the potential for providing particularly rich pedagogical support by virtue of its properties of cyclicity, consistency and connectivity, designed to support deep and enduring levels of understanding.
Research limitations/implications
Although based on a considerable body of theoretical and empirical work relating to conversation theory, the paper remains speculative in that the gap is still great between, on the one hand, what has so far been achieved and, on the other, the practical realisation of its potential to enhance web‐based learning. Much work remains to be done in terms of exploring the extent to which procedures developed and benefits found in relatively small‐scale experimental contexts can effectively be scaled to yield enhanced support for “real world” learning‐related information behaviour.
Originality/value
The ideas of Pask, discussed in this paper, are capable of guiding the structuring of information according to parameters designed to facilitate deep and enduring understanding via interactive “conversational” engagement between the conceptual structures of information source authors and learners. If one can scale Pask's work to “real world” learning‐related information behaviour, one can increase the range of web‐based information systems and services capable of providing pedagogical support to web‐based learners.
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The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic forced many educational institutions to move face-to-face education to entirely online education. This digital transformation has, in turn…
Abstract
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic forced many educational institutions to move face-to-face education to entirely online education. This digital transformation has, in turn, reinforced the digital divide between learners who have easy access to digital devices and the Internet and other learners who do not have those. In addition to the digital divide, the differences in their genders and educational levels potentially impact leveling up learning. Therefore, the study in the present chapter has aimed to examine university-level sophomore and junior students’ differences in learning online during the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of gender, educational level, and the digital divide. Data from a survey indicate that both females and males, and sophomores and juniors had different attitudes toward using digital devices, attending virtual classes and accessing online courses through the mobile phone or the home Internet. Based on the findings on their differences, the chapter makes some implications and recommendations for policymakers, course designers and teachers in the course design, especially in the emergence.
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eLearning: snake oil or salvation? Changes in the world are forcing corporations to rethink how people adapt to their environment. How do people learn? Why? What's eLearning? Does…
Abstract
eLearning: snake oil or salvation? Changes in the world are forcing corporations to rethink how people adapt to their environment. How do people learn? Why? What's eLearning? Does it work? This paper addresses these questions and recounts the history and pitfalls of computer‐based training and first‐generation eLearning. It traces the roots of CBT Systems, SmartForce, Internet Time Group, and the University of Phoenix. It takes a person to five years of TechLearn, the premier eLearning conference, from dot‐com euphoria to today's real‐time realities. The subject‐matter here is corporate learning, in particular mastering technical and social skills, and product knowledge. The focus is on learning what is required to meet the promise made to the customer. While there are parallels to collegiate education, the author lacks the experience to draw them.
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Ross Taylor, Masoud Fakhimi, Athina Ioannou and Konstantina Spanaki
This study proposes an integrated Machine Learning and simulated framework for a personalized learning system. This framework aims to improve the integrity of the provided tasks…
Abstract
Purpose
This study proposes an integrated Machine Learning and simulated framework for a personalized learning system. This framework aims to improve the integrity of the provided tasks, adapt to each student individually and ultimately enhance students' academic performance.
Design/methodology/approach
This methodology comprises two components. (1) A simulation-based system that utilizes reinforcement algorithms to assign additional questions to students who do not reach pass grade thresholds. (2) A Machine Learning system that uses the data from the system to identify the drivers of passing or failing and predict the likelihood of each student passing or failing based on their engagement with the simulated system.
Findings
The results of this study offer preliminary evidence of the effectiveness of the proposed simulation system and indicate that such a system has the potential to foster improvements in learning outcomes.
Research limitations/implications
As with all empirical studies, this research has limitations. A simulation study is an abstraction of reality and may not be completely accurate. Student performance in real-world environments may be higher than estimated in this simulation, reducing the required teacher support.
Practical implications
The developed personalized learning (PL) system demonstrates a strong foundation for improving students' performance, particularly within a blended learning context. The findings indicate that simulated performance using the system exhibited improvement when individual students experienced higher learning benefits tailored to their needs.
Social implications
The research offers evidence of the effectiveness of personalized learning systems and highlights their capacity to drive improvements in education. The proposed system holds the potential to enhance learning outcomes by tailoring tasks to meet the unique needs of each student.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the growing literature on personalized learning, emphasizing the importance of leveraging machine learning in educational technologies to enable precise predictions of student performance.
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Whilst online and blended learning approaches are now widely used by many higher education institutions, the extent and depth of eLearning implementation often depend more on the…
Abstract
Whilst online and blended learning approaches are now widely used by many higher education institutions, the extent and depth of eLearning implementation often depend more on the efforts of enthusiastic individual lecturers rather than effective institution-wide strategies. Innovation is thus frequently restricted to local settings and the enrichment of existing educational approaches rather than radically questioning current paradigms and creating new ways of delivering education. In recent years, there has been more urgency in calling for a deeper re-thinking of how higher education can be made more flexible, scalable and individualised not only at the level of courses but in a systemic and strategic way. This article describes a strategic approach to implementing blended learning at Management Center Innsbruck in Austria. I argue that the whole-of-programme approach taken in this case is an effective way to strategically introduce sustainable and scalable blended learning, and thus not only respond to but actively shape the disruption brought about by online education.
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